Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered and a committee has been formed to look into the Gorakhpur tragedy.

Key Highlights

UP Chief Minister today said that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered and a committee has been formed to probe Gorakhpur incident.

The role of oxygen gas vendor in the tragedy will also be investigated, the UP CM said.

Adityanath also admitted that Japanese encephalitis remains a challenge for his government.

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered and a committee has been formed to look into the Gorakhpur tragedy. Gorakhpur is UP CM Adityanath’s Lok Sabha constituency. "We have formed a committee under state chief secretary to probe the incident. The role of oxygen gas vendor who was allocated the job during the previous government will also be investigated," Adityanath said while addressing a press conference in Lucknow. "We have for now suspended the principal of the BRD Medical College and further action will also be taken against him. Those found guilty won't be spared," he added.

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He also admitted that Japanese encephalitis remains a challenge for his government and assured that a solution has been found to address the menace. Read this story in Gujarati"Encephalitis has been there since 1978 and if infants from eastern Uttar Pradesh are suffering from it then it's due to lack of hygiene and open defecation," the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Gorakhpur MLA said. Adityanath also urged media to put forward the correct figure of deaths as it is very sensitive matter. Lashing out at the college administration, Adityanath said, "Last month, I made two visits to the hospital and nobody raised or complained about the problem. And, in fact the principal left without informing. We have taken action against the careless and the negligent." Over 30 children died in the state-run BRD Medical College during the last 48 hours. According to officials, 17 children died in the neo-natal ward, five in the AES (acute encephalitis syndrome) ward and eight in the general ward. Earlier in the day, the Medical Education minister Ashutosh Tandon said that there had been

delay in payment to the oxygen vendor

by the college authorities and a probe had been ordered. "The oxygen supplier company claims that it had approached the health department on August 1 for payment of its dues, to which the department had released funds and informed BRD Medical College for payment on August 5. The supplier later claimed that the funds were transferred only on August 11," Tandon said. Watch Gorakhpur tragedy: Role of oxygen vendor will be probed, UP CM Yogi Adityanath says